Individual pairs of telephone circuit wires are frequently terminated in telephone company central offices, distribution cabinets and customer premise locations utilizing multi-terminal connector blocks. Once terminated, these telephone circuit wires, usually comprised of cables containing narrow gauge copper conductors, are grouped and then rerouted for appropriate distribution of the calls which they carry. Single connector blocks normally accommodate anywhere from 60 to 100 pairs of densely packed terminations, wherein multiple connector blocks are frequently contained close together at a single location, e.g., one wall of a telephone switching room. Efficient utilization of mounting space is thus required since space within utility locations is traditionally at a premium.
In an effort to further maximize the use of space available for telephone circuit connection operations it is often times desirable to make more than one termination at a single terminal of a connecting block. As is known, traditional connecting blocks contain rows of connecting terminals for making terminations, wherein each row of a connecting block includes multiple terminals. The connecting terminals may be in the form of insulation displacement connector (IDC) terminals because of their ease of use, i.e., insulated conductors are not required to be pre-stripped prior to insertion. In this manner multiple terminations can be made more quickly and efficiently.
One drawback with commonly utilized IDC terminals, however, is that they normally do not have the capability to accept more than one conductor wire at a single terminal. Moreover, once terminations are made at an IDC terminal, these terminals may not normally be re-used without a severe degradation in the quality of a subsequent connection.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an insulation displacement connector having the ability to accept and terminate more than one insulated conductor. It is further an object of the present invention to provide a connector wherein terminated wires may be easily removed and the terminal re-used without jeopardizing the integrity of subsequent terminations.